Magnesium is necessary for more than 300 biochemical functions in the body, according to the National Institutes of Health. It supports a healthy immune system, keeps blood pressure normal, is used for energy metabolism, keeps your heart rhythm steady, maintains normal muscle and nerve function and helps regulate blood sugar. Magnesium supplements are used to lower blood pressure, to treat migraine headaches and in preventing and managing some physical disorders such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Lowers Blood Pressure
Magnesium in the body helps to regulate blood sugar, but it can also help lower blood pressure through magnesium supplementation. In a study on the effect of magnesium supplementation, whose results were published in 2002 in the "American Journal of Hypertension," researchers gave small doses of magnesium daily to 1,220 participants. This resulted in a small overall reduction in blood pressure; leading the researchers to conclude that there is a dose-dependent reduction in blood pressure with magnesium supplementation. As of 2010, further studies with sufficiently high doses of magnesium supplementation are needed to confirm this relationship.
Migraine Headache Treatment
Migraine headaches can be severe and painful. The recurrent affliction may be accompanied by other physical symptoms, such as nausea, visual floaters or other visual disturbances. Unfortunately, there is no cure for migraines. Non-drug treatments can prevent and/or treat migraine headaches. The University of Maryland Medical Center notes that research has found magnesium deficiency in some migraine sufferers, including women who suffer from menstrual migraines. Magnesium supplementation can thus help treat symptoms of migraines by relaxing blood vessels.
Management of Physical Disorders
Certain physical conditions or diseases can contribute to magnesium deficiency. People with poorly controlled diabetes may have increased magnesium loss in urine associated with hyperglycemia and would benefit from magnesium supplementation, according to the Office of Dietary Supplements.
Some medicines, such as antibiotics, diuretics and cancer medications, can cause magnesium deficiency. About 30 to 60 percent of alcoholics have low blood levels of magnesium and would benefit from supplementation. Crohn's disease may cause a loss of magnesium from diarrhea and fat malabsorption. Older adults are also at risk of low magnesium levels. All individuals in these categories would benefit from magnesium supplementation.
Precautions
Consult your doctor before taking any supplement. Magnesium supplements can cause diarrhea and abdominal cramping, the Office of Dietary Supplements warns. Those with kidney problems should not take magnesium supplements without consulting their physician.
References
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Migraine Headaches - Non-Drug Treatments and Lifestyle Changes
- National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements: Magnesium
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Heart-Healthy Diet - Nutrition Basics
- "American Journal of Hypertension"; The Effect of Magnesium Supplementation on Blood Pressure: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials; S.H. Jee et al.; August 2002
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